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Nightingale
Retired DC OC Penelope Smith has a history of schoolyard violence. From interuptng fights (by ending them), defending the 'dork of the month' or outright ambushing other students one claim is made throughout: 'I was doing the right thing.' Insisting that the alleged 'victim' of the fight was some kind of schoolyard terror or other. Official school records show something of a pattern in that almost every one of her 'targets' was known at one time or another for being violent, or worse to fellow students. Most of which have already entered the police databanks. Penelope Genovese was the daughter of former Falconi underboss Antonio 'The Blade' Genovese and the only surviving witness. She went into Witness Protection several years ago. Nightingale is a new 'unknown' vigilante in Gotham, although she has yet to get her feet wet. She's basically been spraypainting vaguely threatening 'tagging' on known criminal hangouts and one poorly made youtube video uploaded from a public terminal to hide the uploaders identity. Background Penny's mother Giada was a meta-human and wife of a Falconi Family underboss. She met her husband through a job for the family, interrogation and 'shipment control'. Being a powerful psychic, she was called in to test shipments integrity or when the family needed to extract information to find someone. Penny's father Antonio was a member of the Falconi crime syndicate, spending many years committing some rather horrible atrocities as a high ranking underboss, until one day when he and his 'broad' became parents. A special little girl with a very special gift. Penelope's touch could open a world of information to her, causing her to often cry in the arms of anyone her father worked with or coo and giggle in the arms of her mother and father. But another special trait was her voice; you see it could speak to th heart of a person and could make them feel all kinds of ways over the guilt of their past actions just so long as she was also touching the person who could hear her voice. Things were fine for a while, until the child began to cry all the time. Doctors couldn't figure it out. Baby's cry sometimes. So hold her and rock her the dutiful parents did, spending more and more time with her. By the time she was 1, Penelope's parents had begun to change. Strange pangs of guilt over things that never bothered them before, then fights about it after. More and more this became a thing until the family began secret talks, whispers of taking what they can and running for it. Grab a big score and vanish with their child to the Poconos or somewhere warm, somewhere Falconi wont look for them. Things went swell for years, Antonio slowly beginning to make preparations; a few discrete deposits here and some moved numbers there. Antonio was good, you don't make it to his position without being great even; but even the best in the world have bad days. For Antonio, that bad day began when his daughter Penny was home from school sick. Stopping to tend to his child, Antonio's usual schedule had been thrown off causing a small chain of tiny mistakes and mild fumbles throughout the day. In his rush to get into the city for a meeting with Falconi, he told his wife to make sure the 'black book in the desk' was handed to the courier who would come later in the day. Unfortunately Phoebe, Penny's mother turned over the wrong black book. Antonio had completely forgotten he had left both books in the desk the night prior. A single mistake in the criminal underworld usually ends with a death sentence and this was to be no exception. A small clutch of hitters sent to the Genovese family home with explicit instructions. "No witnesses." --- The Incident The majority of what happened next exists only as partial flashes in Penelope's memory now, buried under rage and terror. - A group of men entered the house as Antonio began giving orders and threatening the hitters with his pistol. - A single pop could be heard upstairs as Phoebe pushed Penny under the bed. - Phoebe tried to fight, turning a shotgun on two of the attackers before she succumbed to her wounds. - Penny, seeing her mother being attacked rushes to try and help. A large vase breaking over the back of a crouching mans head. - The last clear memory Penelope has of that night is the way the man who led the group had knives that danced around in his hands. The glint of the metal before the sensation of fire crossed her throat and as her vision faded, the blurry figure of a boy in red and black; coming to her rescue. Thanks to Robin, Penelope Genovese had survived the attempt on her life'by the width of an angels hair'. The surgery to save her life a grueling 26 hour marathon complete with a rush to get new organs to the hospital on time. --- The Daughter of Gotham At the advice of Robin, the girl was given a new last name and placed into the custody of the city under the foster care of GPD Patrolman Deckard Smith. With some gentle nudging from Bruce Wayne and the Wayne Foundation, she would be given a full scholarship to Brentwood academy (Paid for by a large chunk of Antonio's going away Dufflebag stash) as well as Gotham University. What was left of the money was simply taken and placed into a trust fund for the child by her masked rescuer. By the time Penny entered high school she had gained a rather nasty reputation for school yard fights and a penchant for bucking the system, a child filled with the anger and angst of losing her family (Or so her guidance counselors think); she always manages to be at the center of every single major altercation that occurred on school grounds. She would never tell people why, simply insisting that 'They Started It'. --- Free Bird Fly Penny's entrance into Brentwood Academy marked a harsh reality for the girl, a bevy of ultimatums made at her within moments of being accepted. Fighting, Bullying and Intimidation of her fellow student would not be tolerated and the girl would not be given special treatment just because one of the Bat family recommended her to the Dean. No, Penny would be expected to 'toe the line' and behave like a model citizen of Gotham; and that's exactly what she intended to do. Once things had settled down, Penny began to put her plan into action. Stealing uniforms and equipment from the schools Theatre Club, she created the Daughter of Gotham. --- Whisper in the Darkness Penelope's mind raced as she moved through the streets, hoping her absence from Brentwood would remain unnoticed, because she was certainly intending to let the city know she was out there... Armed only with a red spray can and a pair of knives, the girl left her first calling card. Tagging the side of a known 'criminal element hangout' 'Gotham Knows Your Secrets...', 'Gotham Knows... and she's pissed!' and 'The Daughter of Gotham Lives!' Personality The Not So Quiet Type - Penelope has a bad habit of getting into arguments and physical fights, her temper easily getting the better of her much of the time, that being said the girl is a lot more than a ball of rage. Compassionate - Penelope's first experience attempting to be a 'Hero' came only a year after she entered recovery from the attack. A boy at her school was being bullied constantly, so she stepped in the way earning her self a fair beating in return. She often lets her compassion for others rule her and it's usually her compassion that manages to temper her anger. Second Chances - Penelope's entire family was murdered in front of her, a fate that she barely avoided. Because of this, Penelope has become only too aware of the value of a second chance in life and has sworn not to waste hers. Stubborn - Penelope plans to become a hero, to put bad guys in jail and save the day and she's not going to let anyone tell her otherwise. Her life was saved thanks to a Masked Hero and the organs donated to her. If people like Robin, the Police and Fire Depts and even her parents can put their lives on the line to save her, then she should be allowed to do the same for others. "What value does a life wasted have? - Unknown Logs *TBA Gallery Category:DC OC Category:DC Hero Category:Gotham Category:DC Retired